Gaze of Ice
by cyberbubble99
Summary: After saving the world, Hitomi can't help but let her mind drift to Ice, the mysterious man who had fought against her during the worlds darkest day. After a chance meeting with him, who seems to have changed his ways, and a quarrel that could put her in danger, can Ice swallow his pride and tell Hitomi his true intentions? (SPOILERS) (Ice X Hitomi) (Keith X Lavana)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Hitomi completed her capture with a flourish, the wild Staraptor now completely under her control. She sighed. The capture had been far too easy, and it didn't feel special enough. Ever since 'saving the world' and purifying the shadow crystal, everything had felt boring and meaningless. She scolded herself, knowing that as a ranger it was her job to help pokemon and people, but for some reason she just couldn't focus.

Her thoughts continually drifted back to her first time in Almia Castle, and her first meeting with _him_. She batted the thought away, a faint blush creeping over her cheeks. It's not as if she _wanted_ to see him again. But maybe she would visit Almia Castle? It's not like he would be there, so it's fine. Come to think of it, Ollie wanted a Dragonair didn't he? He wanted to show it to Elaine. The two of them were so lucky, to be able to care for each other in such a way.

She decided that she would go there, and capture it, to surprise Ollie. How convenient that she had just caught a Staraptor. How convenient. She jumped on, urging the large bird into the skies.

xxx

Hitomi watched as the Staraptor flew away, before turning to the large foreboding entrance of Almia Castle, the doors still wide open from her last visit. She stepped inside, immediately sidestepping the annoying teleporting Haunters. She skilfully dodged them, as she made her way around a large table, and through another impressive-looking door. She slowly made her way through the castle, marvelling at its excellent build and design, even after so many years.

She slid her fingers over the elaborate and cold walls. With a jolt, she realized that she was standing in a room with many ice pathways. With a sigh, she remembered her first time in this room, when the icicles had fallen from the ceiling, and how difficult it had been to get to the room at the end. The room with the blue gem. The room where she had met _him_.

She shook him out of her head, and cautiously stepped onto the ice. She smiled wistfully, as her feet remembered the feel of the pathways, and guided her gracefully to the door on the other side.

Hitomi took a deep breath, her hand resting on the handle of the door. There was no reason to hesitate. It's not like _he_ would be there. Closing her eyes, Hitomi pushed the door open, and stepped inside.

She opened her eyes.

They widened in surprise.

_"Ice?!"_

_xxx_

**Hello! I'm back everyone. I have been... not updating for a while? I guess. **

**Anyway, new story~**

**I've actually already written most of the chapters.**

**I'll update slowly though. :'D**

**Anyway, the title is a play on words.**

**The guy's name is Ice. Ahaha**

**Yeah.**

**Bye~**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Ice spun on his heel as he heard his name called. He raised his eyebrows as he saw who it was.

"Hito-noob? What are you doing here?" He asked coolly, not expecting to see the top ranger at such a place. It was interesting. He hadn't seen her since the purifying of the dark crystal, and was surprised at how much she had grown in the small amount of time since then.

"What do you mean _what am I doing here?_ What are _you_ doing here?" She frowned. "I'm the ranger you know! I have the right to be wherever I want! And don't call me 'Hito-noob'!"

Ice sighed. "And so do I."

Hitomi started. "Oh! O-of course…" she looked at him angrily. "But what are you doing here anyway? Are you planning to take any more pokemon? Because if you even _think_ about it, I'll get this Scyther here to rip you to shreds!"

Ice held his hands out. "Calm down dear, I don't plan on anything like that." He turned to look up at twin Riolu statues, and put his hands in his pockets. "I've come back here to think about what I've done, so you don't have to worry." He slowly paced along the icy floors. "I know that what I've done is wrong, and I'm here to think about how to repay everyone."

"I… see…" Hitomi stared at him, shocked at his gentle words, contrast to his usual sharp retorts.

"And I'd also like to apologise. For involving such a… tasteful young lady like yourself." Ice swivelled around, and looked Hitomi dead in the eyes.

Hitomi found another blush stealing across her cheeks. She waved her hand around awkwardly. "Ah, no… it's ok. I'm a ranger, so it's only natural for me to be involved." She looked away. "Anyway, so you're really a good person now? I don't know how I should feel about that…"

Ice stared at Hitomi for another second. "I would be honoured if you were to accept me as a normal 'good' person, my lady." He smiled, and then bowed, hands still in his pockets.

"Eh? A-accept you?" Hitomi glanced back for a second, then away again, in a sore attempt to hide her blush. "Well… if you really promise not to do anything bad… then I guess I can!"

Ice smiled again, and gave his hair a flick, just like he used to. "Then I promise that I won't do anything bad again, my lady." He gave another slight bow.

Hitomi finally brought herself to look at him. "W-well then… I guess there's nothing more for me to do here!" She laughed nervously. "I guess I'll be leaving now." She gave a small wave and slowly turned around, making her way towards the portal that lead to the entrance.

"Ah, wait!" Ice darted forward, and spun her around swiftly.

Hitomi stared at him, surprised. "Wh-what?"

Ice grabbed her shoulders. "Thank you for accepting me. I really love you for that." he gave her a quick kiss, right on the lips, He smiled and darted to the portal, while Hitomi slowly turned around, eyes wide. He flicked his hair again.

"See ya, Hitomi."

With that, Ice stepped onto the portal, and was whisked away.

**xxx**

Hitomi stared at the portal, still shocked. Her hand drifted to her lips, the feel of his soft lips still lingering.

With a sudden realization, she blushed furiously, and came to her senses.

"What the hell did that pervert think he was _doing_?!" She glared at the wall. "Suddenly kissing me like that!" Hitomi stormed over to the portal, and suddenly stopped. "And even say that he l-lov... me..." She shook her head and stepped onto the portal, still angry as she walked out of the castle. She stopped and stared out into the icy lake, all thoughts of the Dragonair gone.

"Seriously, didn't he even think about how I might feel?"

**xxx**

**And here is the second chapter. :O**

**I forgot to say even more about the title.**

**The "gaze" bit comes from Hitomi's name. Hitomi means 'eye' or something along those lines, so that's where the title is from~**

**Enjoy~ ^^**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**xxx** Six months after the previous chapter **xxx**

Hitomi looked out to sea, the wind flowing through her hair, her tell-tale pigtails whipping in the wind. She turned her clear blue eyes to the sky, wondering if the Vaporeon that she wanted was going to be at the old base.

She gracefully landed, and jumped off the Staraptor. She turned to the ladder before she could watch it fly away. Time to get that Vaporeon.

**xxx**

Hitomi sighed as the stepped onto the final rung, and out into the sunshine again. She didn't find the Vaporeon after all, and all of the pokemon seemed to be gone. Perhaps another ranger had gone and cleared them out? That was probably or the best. After all, they didn't belong there.

She gave another sigh, and looked around for the Staraptor that had been lingering around here earlier. Her eyes lit up as she saw it circling around, near where she had landed previously. It was strange, she thought, there always seemed to be a Staraptor, no matter where she went. Even if it was completely out of place, or there were no other pokemon around.

As she completed the capture, her ears pricked as she heard a gentle thump behind her. She swivelled around, and found herself face-to-face with the man she hadn't seen for six months.

"Ice?!"

He smiled, just like he had that day in Almia Castle. "Hello Hitomi." He purred to her, and his piercing eyes glowed.

Hitomi jumped back a few steps, surprised and confused at seeing him again after so long. "Ice? Why are you here? And where have you been these six months?" She looked down. "I was worried…" Inside, her mind reeled. This seemed like a repeat of six months ago. And where _had_ he been?

Ice regarded her with mild surprise. "I was… taking care of important business." He turned around, and faced the ocean, his silky blue hair gently moving in the sea breeze. "And I'll tell you about that later, but first," He swivelled to face her again. "How have you been?"

Hitomi stared at him for a second, before memories of their encounter six months ago came flooding back. She felt that accursed blush coming back, and could slowly feel herself filling up with six months of anger, confusion and worry.

"How have I been?" She glared at him. "Well, maybe that's an interesting question for you to ask, considering how I must have felt after you left me!" Ah wait, this isn't how she had wanted to talk to him. She tried to compose herself, helplessly flailing inside as her emotions took over completely.

Ice stared at her, confused. With a start, he realized what she was talking about. "Oh! You mean… right, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gotten a normal person involved. I was just being impulsive. I do apologize." He looked her in the eyes. "I'm sorry if… I did anything to upset you. I promise not to get a normal person involved in my personal… games again." With that he spun around for the third time.

"…I…you.."

Ice turned his head to look at Hitomi. "Pardon? Did you say something?"

Hitomi's face was hidden, covered by her messy fringe. "What… am I to you?"

"What do you mean?" Ice still hadn't moved, his back still facing her.

"Exactly what I said." Hitomi looked up at him, glaring intensely. "What am I to you? Am I just a 'normal person' who you don't want to get involved? Is what you said to me six months ago nothing? I guess so, I guess I was stupid, to think that you'd change. You just like toying with people, don't you? This is all just a game to you!" She suddenly noticed the Jynx sitting next to him. "And where did you get that pokemon? I bet you stole it didn't you? You haven't changed at all." And on that last word, Hitomi jumped on her Staraptor. She glared at him one last time, eyes teary.

"I was wrong to accept you."

Ice stared, shocked as the silhouette of the Staraptor faded away into the clouds. "Hitomi… no I…" He stared at the ground. "I didn't think you'd care… about me." Frustrated, he kicked the metal grating that he was standing on.

"Don't you realise that you're the only one who can make me like this?"

**Woooh~ Another chapter.**

**Ahaha, I haven't written the next one, so update might take a bit longer. :'D**

**Uhm, this whole thing is turning out super-cheesy, so don't mind that.**

**And yeah. Enjoy.**

**I love Ice way too much to be healthy.**

**Maybe that's why I made a fanfic about him. :'D**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Hitomi's thoughts whirled as she completed the target clear. Her captures were different from usual. Although performed with as much flare as usual, they were much, much faster. However, she was being careless. Sloppy. Many more times than she could count, Hitomi found herself running back and forth, recharging her stylus with the various Magnetons floating around.

This mission was going to be so painfully easy. Her mind flitted back to the previous day, when Professor Hastings had assigned her the mission. Apparently, there had been reports of much unrest among pokemon at Boyle Volcano, and weird pokemon had been seen, not native to the area. All Hitomi had to do was investigate, and possibly put a stop to the unrest. Easy. She had done much harder before, and despite this being her biggest mission in months, she felt confident that she could pull it off with ease. After all, she was a top ranger. She had saved the entire region. Of course she could complete a simple mission like this. It's not like she was distracted or anything.

She wasn't angry or anything.

**xxx**

Soft thumps continually sounded through the small apartment room, breached by the occasional sigh. Ice was frustrated, and Lavana could easily tell. Eventually, the blue-haired man's continual pacing began to get on her nerves.

"Look, why don't you just _tell her_ how you really feel?"

Ice stopped his pacing and turned to look at her. He frowned. "You know I can't do that! She said it herself; _'I was wrong to accept you'_, besides you're hardly one to talk. I haven't seen _you_ saying anything to that spiky-haired ginger that you fancy."

Lavana glared at him and blushed. She turned away. "That's beside the point. We're talking about _you_ at the moment." She glared at him again. "Besides, you're the one who turned up at my apartment, whining and complaining. I'm only trying to help you find a solution, so why don't you just shut up and take the advice that you obviously need."

The ferocity in her voice made Ice flinch. She really cared about him, as they had shared a long and interesting history. He sighed. She was definitely trying to help him. It couldn't hurt to listen. She was right, after all. It _was_ him who had dejectedly crashed at her apartment.

Lavana sense Ice's doubt, and decided to deliver the final blow.

"Nothing will change if you sit here. She's probably really confused, and since it's your fault, you have to go and fix it. I know you're stupid, but you're not rude, now you go to the Ranger Union, and YOU SORT THIS OUT. UNDERSTAND?"

Ice sighed and smiled at Lavana. She sure had an interesting way of being affectionate.

"I understand. I'll go."

**xxx**

Ice quickly shook the dizziness that always accompanied teleportation out of his head. He payed no mind as the Jynx danced itself away from him, instead rushing into the large building in front of him; The Ranger Union.

_CRASH_

**xxx**

Keith shook his head in confusion. One minute, he was walking out of the union, the next he was on the floor. He looked up, straight into the crystal-blue eyes of a familiar man. He gasped, and stood up, the other man mirroring his actions.

_"YOU!"_

**xxx**

Ice stared at Keith, unpleasant memories worming their way to the front of his mind. With a start, he realised the menacing way that the other man was looking at him. He had better sort this out quickly. After all, he had a job to do.

Before Keith could say a word, Ice held up his hands. "Look, I know this will sound weird, but I'm in a hurry, so listen up." He blinked. "I'm a ranger now, so don't glare at me, I'm not here to do anything bad, I'm trying to find Hitomi, and I really need to speak to her. Perhaps you could assist me?"

Keith stared, speechless. "_You're_ a ranger?" He gasped finally, hardly able to comprehend the words. This, man, who had stolen pokemon, blasted a hole in the union, and purposefully injured people was a _ranger_? How was that even possible? He was too perplexed to think, let alone say anything more.

Ice nodded impatiently. "Yes, yes, now I told you, I'm in a hurry. Where is Hitomi?" He tapped his foot on the ground. He knew this boy was dull, but Ice had high standards. "If I don't get a reply in the next 10 seconds, I'm going to ask Professor Hastings."

Keith startled out of his reverie, and quickly replied, unable to do anything else. "Uh, yes well you see, she's on a mission. Something about pokemon acting up in Boyle Volcano."

Ice stared for a second, before suddenly remembering something very important, something that made the urgency of his search for Hitomi increase tenfold.

"Oh _shit_."

**Ahahaha, finally, an update! It must be a miracle. :'D**

**Well anyway, I'm sorry I took so long, I wasn't sure what to write.**

**Things are getting interesting though, so stay tuned for the next update. 8D**

**Yeahhh, Hitomi is the only Japanese name I used. Only because I didn't really like 'Kate'. It just doesn't sound as nice in comparison to the other english names. Neither does 'Hitomi' but it was better. **

**I think my writing got worse, I do apologise. **


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_They were only rumours, but Ice knew that something interesting was always found at the heart of a rumour. Even if they were just fleeting bits of gossip or information that he had heard on his travels around Almia. _

_"...unrest at Boyle Volcano"_

_"They say it's a Giratina…"_

_"…and that some bad guy from a year ago is behind it…"_

_"You mean Dim Sun? No way! Our favourite Top Rangers put an end to that!"_

_"…but think, they might have come back!"_

_"How scary, but no, they're only rumours…"_

"…so they can't possibly be true!"

**xxx**

Ice stumbled away from the confused Keith, mind reeling. If those rumours were true, Hitomi was in deep trouble. Sure, she had done a lot in the past, but this was on an entirely new level. He had to warn her – before it was too late.

While he planned out what he was going to do in his head, he hurriedly re-captured the wandering Jynx, and teleported to Boyleland.

Without much care for anything else, Ice hurried his was to the volcano entrance. Of course, Hitomi would have been in the deeper part of the Volcano. Luckily for him, she had left the rusty iron gate wide open, and, muttering excuses to the man standing by the door, he made his was swiftly inside.

**xxx**

Meanwhile, Lavana was currently standing at her doorway, unsure of what to do. Unlike herself, Ice was cool-headed enough to take advice. Sure, he was much more heated up than usual, but he still had common sense.

She thought back to what he had said.

He was right, and she knew it. Despite giving out all her advice, and being so forceful, she couldn't even bring herself to talk to Keith, no matter what she did. It just wouldn't do for her, a former evil organization leader, to be taken in by a petty ranger. And such a rude one at that.

But he was charming in his own way, and Lavana could hardly deny that.

Perhaps it was time for her to pay a visit to the Ranger Union as well. But she couldn't. After all, she wasn't a ranger like Ice had become.

She told herself that it was because she couldn't be forgiven, but Ice was proof enough that that wasn't true. All the useless excuses that bubbled up could easily be countered, and in the end, Lavana knew that she was just scared.

She would rather shave her head than admit it, though.

But maybe just one little visit wouldn't hurt.

**xxx**

Keith looked up startled, he was hardly shocked at who he saw, considering that said person's superior had run into him earlier. The fiery-eyed girl stared at him, and then, unexpectedly, blushed.

Keith looked at her, puzzled, then glared. "You must be looking for your friend. The _ranger_." He said the last word with contempt, as if he still couldn't believe it.

Lavana quickly regained her composure, forcing the blush off her face. "Ice? No, he was looking for Hitomi."

Keith looked away. "Yeah, I know. Probably trying to help her and prove himself a hero. Thinks that he's all that just because he was allowed to be a ranger." He snorted. "But no way can I accept that. He did really bad things, there's no way he could have changed."

Lavana stared, caught off guard by his uncharacteristic malice.

Keith turned to Lavana. "He doesn't deserve to be one, after what he did. An-"

_SMACK_

Keith's rant was abruptly cut off with Lavana's hand meeting his face. "Oh you just shut up! Ice worked really hard for people to accept him, and he's changed a lot. You wouldn't know anything about working hard for acceptance, so until then, you can't say a single bloody _word!_" Lavana's voice had escalated to the point of nearly screaming.

Keith stared into her fiery eyes, taken aback by the passion in her voice. A thought suddenly occurred to him. "Oh don't tell me _you've_ become a ranger too?" He was barely able to mask the contempt in his voice.

Lavana stared at him for a second, before taking a few steps back, and shaking her head. Her voice was suddenly soft. "No, I'm not worthy. I can't be forgiven, so there's no way that I could become a ranger."

Keith frowned. "Wait a moment, didn't you just yell at me about saying stuff like that about Ice? And now you're saying it about _yourself!?_ Talk about hypocrisy! How about you take some of your own advice, huh? I bet you're just scared, right?!" Keith's mind whirled. Why was he being so harsh? It wasn't as if he hated this girl. It's just, something about what she was saying was bothering him so much, and he couldn't help but reprimand her.

Lavana was uncharacteristically silent. After several long moments of uncomfortable quiet, she glared at Keith, and spoke.

"You have _no idea_ of how I feel. Of why I even came here in the first place. And of how much courage it took for me. You have no _bloody_ idea. So you can just shut up and judge people somewhere else!"

Despite her anger, for once Lavana managed to keep her voice under control. With one final, venomous look at Keith, Lavana spun on her heel and promptly left, head spinning and eyes watering.

Keith could only stare after her, one hand slightly raised as if to pull her back.

But he didn't, and she left without so much as a backwards glance.

**Look, look, I updated faster this time! I've been having lots of ideas lately, so that's the reason. **

**Things are getting intense! And really really cheesy! But oh well. At least I updated, right?**

**I'd also like to thank all the people who have read and reviewed this story, I appreciate it so much. U**

**I swear these chapters are getting longer, but oh well. 8D**

**ALSO; Vote on my poll about who should be the next villain! It's on my profile, so go check and vote now, quickly! 8D**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

When Hitomi reached the deepest cave on Boyle Volcano, she was hardly surprised to see the bulky form of her former enemy standing there. He had always been the loyal, stubborn one. Perhaps he was not as tough as he looked, and he certainly lacked intelligence. But he was loyal to the very core, and Hitomi had considered the possibility of him returning to a criminal life.

"Heath."

She spoke only just loud enough to be heard over the roar of fire. He turned to face her, a hint of surprise on his face. He hadn't expected her so soon.

He smiled crookedly. "Hitomi, yes hullo." He spread his arms. "My boss will be proud. I do what he cannot. I finish his plans."

Hitomi frowned, her eyes darting around the heated cavern. There were no pokemon in sight, which was weird enough on its own, but what really bothered her was the lack of miniremo units. And large intimidating pokemon. How did Heath expect to get anything done?

He laughed heartily, interrupting Hitomi's train of thought.

"You think I am stupid yes? Well don't worry, I have pokemon to fight you. You want challenge yes? I give you challenge then." He chuckled again.

Something seemed awfully wrong. Heath was too casual, much too at ease. Why was he so confident? Surely, after seeing what she could do he would be a little less easy? Hitomi fretted silently. But no, she would not run. This would most likely end up being easy, much easier than capturing that Darkrai.

Heath reached into his pocket, and pulled out a sleek device. Hitomi gasped as she recognized the modern designs of a fine styler. Heath flipped open a panel on the device, and tapped a few buttons. He laughed, and pushed one last button.

For a while, nothing happened. Hitomi almost collapsed with relief. Heath was a stupid as he looked after all. Now if she could just get something to tie him u-

_CRASH!_

Hitomi squeaked as she narrowly avoided being hit with a flying boulder. Worriedly, she looked around, only to find more boulders crashing down and flying at her from nowhere.

Still no pokemon.

The fiery pits around her bubbled and splashed and Hitomi whirled around frantically, trying to find the source of the disturbance. Heath just laughed. And then she felt it. A drop of water on the back of her neck. She spun, and nearly choked, for the fire was no longer fire. It was water.

The last boulder fell and the water stilled into pools, steam hissing from them into the ceiling.

"So, you like my new trick? It is surprise, yes?" Heath smirked at her.

Hitomi glared. "Whatever you're doing, it won't work. I'll stop you, you know I will. After all, even your boss had to be saved by me." Heath's constant laughter was beginning to unnerve her, and she discreetly reached to ready her styler.

She heard it before she saw it, a deep, rumbling noise that reverberated around the cavern. It caused the water to shiver, and the air to cool. Heath bumbled his way to the edge of the cave, and casually leaned against the wall.

Long, smoky tendrils broke the surface of one of the larger pools, snaking their way into the air. They were tipped with vicious looking red claws. Its head came next, large and encased in golden plating, hiding its mouth. The eyes were red and beady, like tiny specks of light. Its body was long and sinuous, an ashen grey striped with bands of red and black. Golden spikes stuck out at intervals along, all the way down to its pointed tail.

The pokemon had no legs, and instead floated above the pool, glaring down at Hitomi. She swallowed nervously. She had heard of this pokemon before, and supposedly nothing good ever came of it. It generally resided in the Reverse World, and was considered aggressive and violent. The master of the Creation Trio.

Giratina.

**xxx**

"Shit, shit, _shit_."

Ice furrowed his brow as he hurried through the volcano. He had heard the noises as he arrived, and knew that it was probably too late. Despite this, there was no way he could leave Hitomi alone in there with something so dangerous. If anything happened to her, well, he didn't want to think about that.

Despite knowing his way through the volcano, his progress was slowed by the weird behaviour of the Pokemon, and the encounters with several unnatural species.

He swore as he turned the corner and ran into yet _another_ Haunter, cursing the Ghost-type's ability to teleport. He hurried away from it, in a poor attempt to avoid a confrontation.

He was never going to get to Hitomi at this rate.

**xxx**

If Hitomi was scared, she didn't show it.

She knew that Giratina was a far greater foe than she had faced before, even Darkrai. How on earth Heath had managed to control it, even with a styler, was beyond her, but that didn't matter at the moment.

She was angry, although she wouldn't admit it. She had been hoping for a simple mission, so she could relax and have some time to think about certain _pressing issues_. But no, Heath had to come along with his stupidity and loyalty and ruin everything. She was going to capture this Giratina, arrest Heath, and then get the _hell_ out of there.

"Alright, do your worst."

**xxx**

The battle would have been drawn out if it weren't for Hitomi's anger. But as stated before, she was fast, much faster than normal.

But if she was fast, then, you must remember, she was also careless.

The Giratina's attacks were fast, powerful and efficient, even more so than that Regigigas that she had fought once, the one that created shockwaves with every step. This pokemon knew what it was doing, despite being under the control of an idiot.

One by one, her little team of Magnetons was used up, and they all ran away. Only her trusty partner, Pachirisu, remained. She hardly noticed, of course, considering how careless she was at the moment.

Her styler energy was dwindling, but Giratina was nearly caught.

They had moved around a lot, over the course of the battle, and Hitomi was now facing the entrance to the cave, and the large pokemon was right in front of it, blocking off the exit. Hitomi raised her styler to make the final loops when a flash of blue caught her eye. Her focus wavered as she stared at the cave's entrance, and standing here, panting and looking terrified, was Ice.

His mouth was open, and he seemed to be shouting something, and it was then that Hitomi realised that she couldn't hear anything, save the loud rushing of water in her ears. Ice was gesturing madly to the Giratina, and she turned to face it, just in time to see its massive tail, glowing vivid blue, rushing towards her. She tensed to jump away, but the mass got to her before she could. Her styler went flying into the wall, and the breath was knocked from her chest.

Her eyes widened in surprise, and Ice went flying towards her, but that was all she remembered before her vision went fuzzy, and everything went black.

**Hey look I updated? Oh my god. **

**Um so I'm sorry I'm the slowest writer ever, and i'm sorry this chapter is shit, and I'm sorry it ended on a really bad cliffhanger.  
Also there might be angst. Just a little? Idek.**

**Thankyou for all your wonderful reviews though, they mean a lot to me~ 3**

**Enjoy this, until next time!**

**- Andi**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Ice's mouth opened in a wordless scream as Hitomi crumpled to the ground, water flying around her like silvery bullets. He darted forwards, intending to move her away, somewhere safe, anywhere but with that monster. He fell to her side, scooping her up gently, and hurried, as best as he could to the exit, grabbing her styler while he could. Before he could reach the large exit, Giratina's tail slammed down in front of them.

He heard a gruff chuckle resound behind him.

"So, Ice, ees this what you've been doing while I was gone?"

Ice whirled around, glaring at Heath so fiercely, that any lesser man would have run. But this was someone who he had worked faithfully with for years. Ice could hardly believe that he could do something so malicious, so _smart._

Heath wasn't smart.

So where had this come from?

Ice shook his head, and refocused on the present. Hitomi's safety was his only concern at the moment. "You… you monster! I thought we had agreed that this sort of thing wasn't going to work? Didn't you learn_ anything_ from Darkrai?" Ice hissed at Heath.

The larger man only grinned and folded his arms. "I can do eet now, I have methods."

Ice glared. Reasoning with him wasn't going to work. There was only one thing for it.

He was going to have to capture the Giratina.

**xxx**

Lavana stared at the musty carpet of her apartment, willing herself not to cry. She wouldn't cry, not over that stupid boy. Not when he was so rude to her. No one was allowed to treat her that way, and if they did, then they didn't deserve her acknowledgement.

But how could he? Even after she had worked up the courage to talk to him!? Perhaps she had misjudged him, as the spunky and determined ranger she had met what felt like so long ago.

The malice in his voice, it had _hurt_.

But it wasn't like him.

"I don't know what to do." She stared at the fire, crackling in her hearth, waiting for the sight of the flames to calm her, like they always had. But no feeling of peace came, not even the rage that she had previously felt. Just the roiling, chaotic confusion, and a deep feeling of hurt.

Taking a shaky breath, she opted on a different way of dealing with these unknown feelings. She would ignore them. Surely they would go away, if she could just build a wall around herself, much like Ice had, back before he met Hitomi. It had always worked for him, and she was stubborn. It would work. She didn't need to think about Keith anymore. He had rejected her and she didn't need him anymore.

She wouldn't even need to think of him anymore.

Block out her feelings.

Easy.

Right?

**xxx**

Ice tenderly lent the unconscious Hitomi against the wall, whispering apologies to her. "I promise I'll take you somewhere safe, just hold on for a little longer."

He straightened, and turned to face Heath, finally readying himself for what he considered to be his final battle. All the feelings and anger that he had bottled up for so long, it was time to put them to good use. If he couldn't save Hitomi, then he didn't deserve her.

He stalked towards Heath, icily composed despite the storm of emotions within him.

"I will stop this, Heath. I hope you can understand that what you are doing is stupid and wrong." He narrowed his eyes. "I can only hope that you are prepared to face what consequences this may lead to."

Heath laughed smiling in a way that made Ice shudder. "No no, this method ees undefeatable. Not only is Giratina under my control, he ees stronger too." He nodded to himself. "You will regret this. I am sorry to harm you, my old colleague."

Ice flipped his hair, as he had done so many times in the past when facing a rival. Only this time, it was his former friend.

"Prepare for your loss."

**xxx**

Ice could only thank god that Hitomi was such a good ranger, otherwise this capture could have been disastrous. Despite what he liked to believe, he wasn't really a good ranger, and he had only been training for a very short amount of time.

If it weren't for Hitomi's previous weakening of the large ghost pokemon, Ice would be completely lost by now, if not dead.

But the Giratina was weary, and being away from its homeland had weakened it greatly. Not only was its power decreasing, but its will.

There was still hope for Ice.

He lunged forwards, his styler dented and nearly gone, his breathing harsh and ragged from avoiding attacks for so long. He sent it forwards, spiralling towards the Giratina's head, as the huge pokemon writhed, inhaling to summon a last desperate burst of power.

Ice squeezed his eyes closed, and prayed that the stylus would survive, blinking them open as the sound of an explosion. He coughed, dust billowing through the cavern is such a way that he couldn't see.

Was that it? Had his styler exploded? It was all over. He had failed.

He heard a groan, and a huge puff of air cleared some of the dust, hurling it towards the ceiling. The Giratina was on its side, the styler hovering above its head, the last trails of a completed loop just disappearing.

Ice's eyes widened, it wasn't his styler that had made the noise. The Giratina's fall had caused it, and of course, that explained the dust!

He grinned, for the first time in a long while, then winced at the sound of Heath's outraged voice from the other end of the cavern.

"HOW COULD THIS METHOD NOT WORK? EET WAS PERFECT! BOSS EVEN SHOWED ME! WHAT HAPPENED? HE EES GOING TO BE SO ANGRY WITH ME, AND YOU!" He turned to Ice, eyes blazing in a way that Ice had not seen on the larger man's face before. He backed away, hands raised is if to calm an animal.

"Look, Sorry about your device and all, but I did warn you. Now, don't move or I'll get this Giratina – which is temporarily helping me, by the way – to kill you. Stay there until my backup arrives. Or you'll be sorry."

Ice took a deep breath, throwing one last glance at Heath, before hurrying over to Hitomi's side.

"Oh my god Hitomi are you alright? I'm so sorry that you had to go through all this, and I should have gotten here faster, oh my god." She was still unconscious, of course, but Ice found that talking to her was reassuring.

At least she was still there, and breathing.

He eased her gently into his lap, stroking her forehead and whispering to her, before speed-dialling the union to send backup. He replaced his styler on the ground, and shuffled against the wall to wait, Hitomi dead to the world in his arms.

Perhaps it was going to be ok after all.

* * *

**I'M REALLY FUCKING SORRY THIS WAS SO LATE.**

**I had exams and then writers block and then no motivations I'm sorry.**

**But uhhh, probably don't expect regular updates? **

**I swear the quality is decreasing each chapter.**

**I'm really, really sorry.**

**I'll try, I really will, but no promises. ; n ;**


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